Coloradans convicted of a marijuana offense that would have been legal had Amendment 64 been in place could petition to have their records sealed under a bipartisan proposal unveiled Tuesday evening in the state Senate.

Senate Bill 218, which was granted late bill status and comes with just days until the 2014 session concludes, would allow residents to file a petition with district courts to have their records sealed — a move, say some lawmakers and pot advocates, that could impact thousands of residents.

“There are tens of thousands of people with previous cannabis offenses that hurt them from getting things like loans, housing and employment,” Jason Warf, a marijuana advocate and director of Colorado Springs Medical Cannabis Council, told The Post late last week.

Amendment 64 went into effect in December 2012 and allows for the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for Coloradans age 21 and over. Moreover, it allows for adults to grow and cultivate their own marijuana.

He was talking about tension between Wash Park neighbors and park users who were exhibiting drunken behavior, crowding the park or raising too much ruckus in other ways.

Said Nevitt: “We’ve been trying to thread the needle between having Washington Park be the living room for the entire city to come and enjoy themselves and not have that living room trashed for the people who actually live in the bedroom right next door.”

Got that? Nevitt went on to praise Mayor Michael Hancock for getting involved in the issue. “We’ve got to invest more resources. We have to invest more effort. We’ve got to be more creative,” Nevitt said. “And so the commitment on the mayor’s part really helped us embrace more complicated and complex solutions.”

Mercedes Gray, center, and friends enjoyed alcoholic beverages at Washington Park Wednesday afternoon, April 9, 2014. They said they have all signed an electronic petition opposing the plan of a city councilman who wants to prohibit drinking beer at the park. (Photo by Karl Gehring/The Denver Post)

A total alcohol ban for Washington Park is off the table, for now, but Denver parks officials and police plan to issue more citations and clamp down on misbehavior in other ways starting Memorial Day weekend.

Users of one of the city’ s largest and most popular parks will still be allowed to consume 3.2 percent beer under the decision, confirmed to The Denver Post on Tuesday by Denver Parks and Recreation spokesman Jeff Green. The decision ends a discussion set off by City Councilman Chris Nevitt’s suggestion of a full alcohol ban in a letter to parks officials on March 13.

Among the measures that will be coming are a “drop-in” permit system for volleyball and other organized activities on weekends and holidays, another attempt to increase enforcement and making bathrooms available for extended hours.

“This has been a joint effort to solve a variety of pressing issues,” Mayor Michael Hancock said in a statement provided by Green. “We are committed to delivering a better experience for all of Denver’s residents who enjoy Washington Park’s amenities as well as for our residents who live next door to the park.”

Nevitt had cited Washington Park neighbors’ complaints about public drunkenness and other nuisance problems in pushing for the alcohol ban. In recent years, increased enforcement efforts had failed to alleviate those problems.

“Liberty is what made this country great, and liberty will make us great again,” Kent said. “Liberty is the solution to every problem this nation faces. Government exists to provide for the liberty of its citizens and liberty is the solution to every problem this nation faces.”

Kent, who originally from Los Angeles, has lived in Steamboat Springs since 2011. He currently is on hiatus from writing the Daily Dose and Bottom Ten columns, according to his bio.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.